SUMMARY
Globally, increase of insulin resistance and diabetes prevalence with rapid change in lifestyle like nutrition results in Type II diabetes mellitus (Type II DM) which has become an epidemic problem. Modification of the diet, which is one of the most important lifestyle interventions, plays a crucial role in preventing and delaying of the type 2 diabetes mellitus, and also preventing or delaying the disease related complications. Recent studies have addressed insulin activity and insulin secretion, among the pathologic factors leading to the development of Type II DM, which alone are insufficient to determine the cause of diabetes. In addition to this, it is known that multifactorial causes of diabetes etiology involve different receptors as well as insulin, which is supported by genetic studies. One of these receptors, CD36 receptor, plays an important role in cardiovascular health and diseases, cancer, insulin resistance, taste and food choice. Studies have indicated that high blood CD36 levels may contribute as a new biomarker in the pathogenesis of type II DM. Furthermore, current literature have shown that the CD36 receptor might have role in different taste and smells in terms of fatty food selection. Thus, in this review, the relationship between the CD36 receptor, insulin resistance and the fatty food selection in the diet was examined.